Standards and Rules
As LGAP is to operate outside Australia and across international borders, the development of the Program followed international guidelines including, but not limited to, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and ISEAL Alliance. The ESCAS Animal Welfare Standard was also used as a basis for the LGAP Standards.
The LGAP Standards
These international guidelines include expectations for the standards development process, including the formation of an appropriately constituted Standards Committee and the requirement for a public comment period of not less than 60 days. Significant research was undertaken to establish, where possible, a scientific basis for all requirements in the LGAP Standards.
Where a scientific basis could not be established, other precedents that existed were considered.
The LGAP Standards consider more than 25 programs, standards, codes, requirements or other such materials from Australia and around the world, including major export markets’ animal welfare legislation. The LGAP Standards, as unanimously agreed by the independently constituted LGAP Standards Committee, comprise four documents:
Describes the fundamentals of livestock assurance and specifies the vocabulary.
Specifies requirements for animal welfare, health and management, the personnel of Operators and Facilities, infrastructure and equipment, livestock identification and movement, transport, slaughter and processing.
Specifies requirements for the management system of Operators and Facilities, including leadership and responsibilities, processes, documented information, monitoring and records, management review and internal auditing, nonconformities and corrective action.
Specifies requirements for traceability and control associated with livestock.
The LGAP Certification Rules
Under conformity assessment programs, rules typically exist to clearly define the responsibilities, interactions and obligations of all parties to the program, for example the Program Owner, Facilities and Operators, Certification Bodies and Auditors. These Rules complement the program requirements as specified in the Standards.
The LGAP Certification Rules were developed following:
- ISO/IEC 17007:2009 - Conformity assessment -- Guidance for drafting normative documents suitable for use for conformity assessment.
- ISO/IEC 17065:2012 - Conformity assessment -- Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services.
- ISO/IEC 17067:2013 - Conformity assessment -- Fundamentals of product certification and guidelines for product certification schemes.
- ISO/IEC TR 17026:2015 - Conformity assessment -- Example of a certification scheme for tangible products.
The major components of the LGAP Certification Rules relate to:
- Certification Body and Auditor requirements
- Scopes and Levels of certification and the certification pathway
- Nonconformities, suspension and withdrawals
- Risk assessment and surveillance
- Complaints and appeals
Download
LGAP Certification Rules (359 KB)
- LGAP 1000 Livestock assurance - Fundamentals and vocabulary (162 KB)
- LGAP 1001 Livestock assurance - Requirements for animal welfare and management (291 KB)
- LGAP 1002 Livestock assurance - Requirements for the management system of Operators and Facilities (151 KB)
- LGAP 1003 Livestock assurance - Requirements for Operator Chain of Custody (106 KB)